


Excerpts from The Mandalorian's Dilemma (in chronological order)

by Ariana Deralte (ArianaDeralte)



Series: How a Romance Novel Saved the Galaxy [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: All The Ships, Gen, M/M, Mandalorian Culture (Star Wars), Pre-Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Pre-Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Romance, romance novel tropes gallore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:07:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27919456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArianaDeralte/pseuds/Ariana%20Deralte
Summary: These are the excerpts from the novel, The Mandalorian's Dilemma, from the first fic in this series How a Romance Novel Saved the Galaxy. They are essentially drabbles from different parts of the romance novel in that story. They are also incomplete, but I am providing them in chronological order due to several requests from my readers:)
Relationships: Naured/Hiam, Original Jedi Character(s)/Original Mandalorian Character(s) (Star Wars)
Series: How a Romance Novel Saved the Galaxy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2044417
Comments: 19
Kudos: 226





	Excerpts from The Mandalorian's Dilemma (in chronological order)

**Author's Note:**

> There are many gaps in this story, but I’ve had several readers request they wanted to be able to read the romance novel from How a Romance Novel Saved the Galaxy on its own and in chronological order. Obviously, I’ve not finished writing all the excerpts from the novel for the main story, so this fic will be updated periodically (but not with any new chapters). I’ll probably update it once 3-4 new excerpts appear in the main story. 
> 
> I’ve filled in gaps between the drabbles with some one sentence descriptions for ease of reading. I may tweak the order of drabbles slightly if I run into problems later on, but I suspect nothing more than how many days the story takes place over will change over time.

**< Chapter introducing Naured’s background>**

Clan Awaud controlled a large swath of land which included their main enclave in the jungles to the west and this desert region to the north of their territory. The desert canyons and mountains weren’t being exploited right now due to the war, but they did have mineralogical resources buried underground which the clan planned to use in the future.

As a result, when word came from farmers who lived on the edge of the desert that there had been a lot of ship activity in the area, Naured and some others from his clan had been sent out as aerial scouts to see what was going on. The Clan Head thought that some other clan may be trying to encroach on Clan Awaud’s territory.

Naured had been out in the desert for a few days before he spotted a ship flying low at night towards the eastern mountains. He had spent the day going in the same direction, but diverted under a nearby rock shelter for cover when he saw a ship heading back his way. It was the first ship he’d seen in daylight and he was confused. That wasn’t a Mandalorian design, but the fifty or so warriors who got off the ship when it landed were certainly wearing Mandalorian armor.

The ship went back towards the east after dropping the Mandalorians off. The other Mandalorians formed up into a square five across, ten deep and marched towards a deep canyon entrance nearby.

Very strange. Marching in orderly formations was not a popular Mandalorian tactic, since their way of fighting tended to support more individual fighting styles. And where was their air support?

He belatedly remembered to pull out his rifle with its scope since the magnification in his buy’ce was osik. Unfortunately, they were facing away from him so he couldn’t see any clan insignia beyond the edges of some white paint on their pauldrons.

They reached the edge of the canyon when a large boulder detached from the edge and rolled with impossible speed at their bunched up ranks. Some of the Mandalorians on the edges of the formation were able to jump out of the way and the final rank noticed in time, but just like that, there were only ten or so Mandalorians standing.

There was a flash of light on the edge of his scope. Naured swung the scope around, looking for the source but only saw another verd on the ground, their armor smoking.

What the kriff?

He switched back to his buy’ce to get a wider view and finally saw the source of the attack.

Jetii. A single Jetii was systematically fighting their way through the remaining verd’e, the green of their weapon flashing in the distance.

**< After watching this first fight>**

The Jetii were their mortal enemies. They were also extremely competent warriors who fought like the ka’ra themselves were guiding them. Naured watched the Jedi, who had just singlehandedly defended the pass from 50 Mandalorians retreat to a rocky outcropping behind him and pull out a tiny Twilek ad who clung to the Jedi. The Jedi touched their forehead to the child’s. Naured suddenly wanted to be down there, to say kriff the mission. A light laugh from the child echoed off the cavern walls. The Jedi was smiling in the scope of Naured’s rifle.

Naured was well and truly karked, wasn’t he?

**< Naured decides to get involved>**

Osik.

Osik.

It was one thing to let the Jetii fight off his enemies; Naured was supposed to be on patrol, and he didn’t know these Mando’ade attacking the Jetii. But the Jetii hadn’t had time to hide the ad this time. Her cries of terror tugged at his heart.

One of the attacking warriors turned his blaster on the poorly concealed ad. That dar’manda!

He’d been watching the fight in his scope like before. He took in a quick, steadying breath, then calmly pulled the trigger, hitting the attacker right in the back. There was armor back there so all it did was make them stumble, but it was enough.

Naured activated his jetpack. He’d take pot shots with his rifle while descending. These dar’manda were not going to hurt an ad on his watch.

**< Naured ends up getting close to the Jetii… literally.>**

The blaster bolt ricocheted off the dead Mando’ade’s armor and right into Naured’s jetpack. He’d been hovering over the jetii, trying to get a better shot.

He fell. Right on top of the karking jetii. The jetii’s weapon stuttered out when it hit his beskar and they both collided hard. His buy’ce hit the jetii’s head with worrisome force.

“Owww.”

Naured wasn’t sure which of them had said it, but he must have hit his head harder than he thought because all he could think about was how up close the jetii’s eyes were the color of clouds before a storm.

**< Soon after their meeting>**

“How did you come by the ad, the child, I mean, far out here?” asked Naured. He had already taken off his helmet, sat down on the hard ground and placed his weapon far from his side. The little one was still clutching the jetii’s leg, but had at least dared to look at him now instead of hiding her face away. It was his helmet and weapons that scared her the most. What Mando’ade, no, Dar’Manda had dared to hurt an ad?

The jetii sighed and placed a comforting hand on the ad’ika’s head. “She stowed away to escape. I wasn’t going to leave her there.”

**< During the first day, walking in the desert.>**

“Perhaps you can clear up some issues I’ve been having with Kiri,” said the Jetii after they had been walking in silence for a long time.

“What?”

“I speak Ryl, and she has some words she uses which aren’t standard or Ryl. I believe she picked them up from her captors.”

“Like what?”

“Do you wish to say anything Kiri?” asked the Jetii first. The girl shook her head. Part of the Jetii’s tunic had gone to make her a head and lekku covering. “May I say something?” This time the girl nodded.

“When I asked where she had been, all she answered was ‘haran’. Is that a place in Mando’a?”

Naured stiffened. Just what had the poor ad been put through? “It means ‘hell’, Jetii, a place of destruction.”

“You can call me Hiam, you know.”

Naured shook his head slightly. Calling a Jetii by their first name felt like it might be a step too far.

**< Their first night in the desert together>**

The desert was dangerously cold at night and they couldn’t afford to light a fire. Naured placed the tip of his blaster at the side of the boulder that was their shelter. Low, steady fire had the stone heated and warm. He hesitated a moment. Taking off his armor in front of a jetii was anathema, but he had already done worse this past day. The cold beskar would be freezing in the night air. It went in a pile beside the rock.

Kiri was already asleep with only her nose peeking out of the bundle of the jetii’s robes. He placed her against one warm side of the boulder. The jetii was kneeling in the sand, eyes closed and breath steady. He didn’t seem aware that he was shivering.

“I’ve made a warm spot for us. We’ll have to huddle together with the ad’ika, but we should make it through the night,” Naured said.

The jetii blinked pale, gray eyes up at him.

Naured held out his hand.

The jetii took it.

**< Sometime on day three>**

”Can you truly tell what anyone is thinking?” asked Naured. The thought was a bit terrifying, and not just because he’d been lusting after the Jetii this entire time.

“There are some Jedi whose skill lies in the mental arts and can, indeed, read the minds of those around them. But most Jedi are more like empaths. We sense emotions and feelings, though even those we shield ourselves from both out of politeness , and to keep ourselves from being overwhelmed.”

“So you can tell what I’m feeling right now?”

“If I focus, yes,” said Hiam. He reached out and placed a hand on the side of Naured’s buy’ce, tugging him a little closer. “The beskar in your helm muffles the Force.” Naured leaned in even more so their foreheads were touching in a keldabe kiss.

It was not enough. Naured wanted to be closer.

He backed up a step to pull of the buy’ce. Hiam smiled at him.

“What am I thinking now?” taunted Naured.

Hiam’s smiled turned sharp. “The same thing I am.” He stepped forward. There was a hand on the back of Naured’s neck. Their lips met.

**< Day four, afternoon>**

Naured was going to kill him. He flinched when Hiam’s hand was placed right over the burn on his back.

“You could have told me there was a kriffing rip in my bodysuit!” Naured growled. He held himself very still when he felt Kiri’s tiny hand also touch the burn.

“Bad word,” she said.

“Yes, he did say one of those, didn’t he?” Hiam didn’t have to sound amused. “And, Naured, you told me to shut up several hours ago. I was following your wishes.”

Naured couldn’t curse again in the front of Kir’ika, but he thought some right at Hiam. Before he could turn around to see if the Jedi was reacting to said curses, he felt a tingling cooling sensation on his burn. After several moments it faded away.

“There, the sunburn is healed.”

**< Day 4, evening>**

Naured doggedly chewed on one of the ration bars from his supplies and watched Hiam do the same. Kir’ika had sharper teeth than them, but she was still having trouble getting through the tough bars. He took out his half empty canteen and poured a small amount of water on the bar, trying not to spill a drop.

Kiri smiled up at him before returning to gnawing on the bar.

“We’re going to run out of water soon,” he pointed out to Hiam.

“I know,” said Hiam. “I have been following where the Force leads out here, but if you know of water, we can alter our course.”

There was somewhere around here with potable water, Naured thought. He just had to remember his geography lessons. “Give me some time to think.”

Hiam nodded.

They were settling in for the night when it finally came to him. “Hot springs! There are hot springs near Taung’s Seat.” He pointed off into the darkness where the shadow of a mountain with two peaks loomed.

“I have a weakness for hot springs,” said Hiam.

Naured could picture the Jetii, relaxing in a pool hot enough to flush his skin, not wearing any clothes. “You’re not helping, Hiam,” he said with a groan. They couldn’t afford to waste a drop of water at the moment.

He cherished the cheeky wink Hiam threw at him, even as he silently cursed at him. “Who said I was trying to?”

**< Day 5 after Kiri has gone to bed>**

“You see those four bright stars that form a diamond? That’s the head of The Mythosaur. The two fainters stars to either side below them are its horns.”

Hiam’s head was tilted back, eyes fixed above. The bright band of stars that was the edge of the galaxy looked like a thousand particles of dust. He had a faint scar on the side of his mouth. Naured gave in to the urge to kiss it before taking Hiam’s hand and pointing it closer to the horizon.

“That bright reddish star is The Manda’s Eye. They are watching over us. Guarding us.”

**< Sexy times after this, despite them being low on water.>**

**< Day 6-ish>**

The hot springs smelled of sulfur and rotten eggs, but they would keep them warm tonight. Naured would never admit it, but he would miss the huddling for warmth.

“Come, little one. Let me help you sleep,” said Hiam and wrapped Kiri in her customary Jedi cloak bundle. Naured could never tell if he was doing some Force osik or not, but once Hiam touched his forehead to hers, she was always fast asleep.

Hiam turned to him. “Let me help you sleep as well, or at least relax.”

“How?”

“Take off your armor and let me show you.”

It felt strange to be lying on his stomach, but then Hiam straddled him and leaned deeply on Naured’s shoulders, first one side, then the other before he began gently kneading the tired muscles. There was warmth and, strangely, a sense of peace radiating from his hands and into Naured’s back. He drifted, too relaxed to find it odd that he could feel both his own muscles and the muscles in his hands as they pressed into flesh.

**< The massage left Naured with a bit too much nervous energy when it was over.>**

”You don’t need to keep watch here, Naured,” said Hiam gently.

“I do! What if she wakes up and toddles into one of those springs? She can’t swim, and some of them are far too hot!”

Hiam was silent for a long moment. “The solution is simple then.” He picked up Kiri from where she was nestled in Hiam’s robes between them and placed her snuggly on Naured’s lap. “There.” Hiam scooted closer so their sides were pressed close. Naured just faintly felt him lean his head against his shoulder before he was asleep.

**< They wake up early in the morning before Kiri for sexy times.>**

Hiam had no idea how beautiful he was, scars and all. Moments of war etched into his flesh. Naured applied himself to mapping out each one with his tongue, grinning into Hiam’s skin when the man began to groan and offer more of himself to Naured’s systematic attention.

**< After the sexy times.>**

“I hadn’t realized…” said Hiam.

“Realized what?” Naured was drowsy and vaguely aware he should probably climb off his lover before he fell asleep on him.

“That the Mandalorians were adopting so many of the children they meet. The rumors say you’re killing and torturing them.”

Naured snorted. “Just like the Jetii steal babies.”

Hiam pressed a soft kiss to his brow. “It seems both our cultures have an image problem.”

**< They get attacked from orbit.>**

Hiam had a nice voice. He was softly singing what sounded like a lullaby in a language Naured didn’t recognize. It kept Kiri calm and she was nodding off where she was perched on Hiam’s back. Naured himself was content to listen as they walked onwards. His armor’s climate controls only just made the heat bearable.

A moment later, however, the singing stopped and Hiam froze, head cocked.

“What is it?” asked Naured.

A high pitched whine pierced the air far above their heads.

“Behind me, Naured, and stay close!” ordered Hiam, then raised his hands toward the sky.

Hiam stood in front of Naured, both hands pushing against the now visible force of the explosion. It was so bright that Naured’s interior display darkened to protect his vision leaving Hiam a dark figure silhouetted in blinding light.

The light died.

Naured got shakily to his feet. There was a cone of pristine desert behind Hiam covering exactly where Naured had been thrown and where Kiri was still crouched. Outside of that circle was a light coating of glass on top of sand. Naured knew he should have been intimidated and while he was in awe, he was also very, very aroused.

**< After the attack, Naured asks why Hiam is being targeted. An explanation ensues>**

“Dark side? What does that even mean?”

“Darksiders. Or Sith perhaps.”

“Dar’jetti?”

“What does _that_ mean?” asked Hiam, a hint of teasing in his tone.

“Uh, ‘not Jedi’,” said Naured after a moment’s thought. “Just like dar’manda is ‘not Mandalorian’. But we usually use it specifically for Sith, I think.” His clan hadn’t been involved with any dar’jetti before, but they had alliances with clans who had.

“Well, both definitions would have fit how that place felt.”

**< They get attacked on the ground this time. Naured is staying back because Kiri is panicking.>**

It bothered Naured a lot that Hiam was going out there without him, and even more that it was without armor. Jedi tunics didn’t even have padding much less the ability to stop weapons! True, their weapons allowed them to repel any blaster fire before it got near them. But that was the reason every Mandalorian warrior carried slug throwers these days.

Before Naured could think about it too much, he was detaching his breast plate. “Wait. Please wear this. Under your tunic if you must.” No matter how much his cheeks warmed at the idea of others seeing Hiam openly wearing Naured’s armor, it was probably best he hide it for now.

“Naured…”

“I want you safe, Hiam.”

**< Hiam comes back into the cave after he deals with the attackers>**

Naured let his eyes roam over Hiam after he ducked back into the cave where they were sheltering. Kiri was a warm weight against his chest, her face hidden, though he didn’t think she was sleeping, just tired from her panic attack.

Hiam’s robes were a series of brown colors which worked well as camouflage in the desert, but also made it hard to see if Hiam was injured.

“Are you all right?” Naured asked. He could be sure that at least Hiam’s chest had been protected by Naured’s armor. He stood up, making sure to support Kiri, though she made a whimper of protest at the move. He needed a closer look.

“We should probably move. At least one escaped,” said Hiam. He was grabbing their meager supplies.

“You didn’t answer the question.”

Hiam sighed. “I’m mildly injured, but it’s nothing I can’t heal once we change locations.”

“Let’s move then,” said Naured, twisting with Kiri still in his arms to duck out the narrow cave entrance. Hiam shadowed him, taking up Naured’s usual spot of guarding their backs since Naured held Kiri.

An hour later, they stopped in the shadows of some tall pillars of stone. Naured made sure Kiri had some water before ordering Hiam to strip. He ignored Hiam’s raised eye brow, and his own blush.

Once the Jetii’s tunics were off, Naured’s armor breastplate was finally visible. Closer inspection revealed there were shiny particles of metal scattered across the left side, along with barely visible scorch marks on the surrounding brown fabric. Naured touched it, gloves coming away covered in a powdered metal.

“What happened?”

“Caught a slug thrower on my lightsaber. It spattered across my chest.” Hiam’s eyes were warm. “Your armor protected me.”

Naured couldn’t resist giving him a kiss, even as his hands worked to get the armor and the fabric below it off. There were trails of bright red-brown burns on the skin radiating out from the edge of where the armor had sat.

“You can heal it?” Naured asked. They had some basic medical supplies, but he also remembered Hiam’s healing of his sunburn.

“Yes, though perhaps you could feed Kiri while I do? It’s hard to focus while you’re devouring me with your eyes.” Hiam wiggled his eyebrows. Kiri giggled softly, though her eyes were filled with tears at seeing the injuries. Naured realized that was probably why Hiam wanted him to distract her with food.

“Take your time, cyare,” he said.

Hiam granted him one last warm smile before closing his eyes in meditation.

**< They get attacked *again*>**

Naured didn’t recognize the clan insignias of the Mandalorians attacking them and that worried him. He had no idea what a black or white star on a pauldron might signify.

Hiam had sensed their approach and hidden Kiri in a nearby rock formation before he and Naured went out into the open to face the ten who tried to surround them. Naured guarded Hiam’s back and shot his rifle at the two in the air with their jetpacks while Hiam expertly wielded his turquoise lightsaber to slice through the unprotected joints of the armor of any Mandalorian who got too close. Slugs were dodged as if they were bothersome flies and not deadly weapons.

Only once did Hiam need some help when his saber shorted on what looked like a woven shield one of the warriors in red armor was carrying. It must have been woven with cortosis.

Hiam ducked as if he knew Naured’s shot was coming, narrowly also avoiding a blow from the beskad in the Mandalorian’s other hand. Naured’s blaster bolt knocked the Mandalorian back for a second, which was long enough for Hiam’s lightsaber to reignite and be swiped through the unprotected spots below the warrior’s knee guards, crippling them. Naured kicked the beskad and shield far away, but didn’t deliver the killing blow – he wanted to know what their clan was first.

He scanned the area. Most of the warriors who attacked them were down. The others had disappeared.

Hiam was panting lightly, eyes slit as he scanned the area with what was probably the Force to check their enemies were gone. Suddenly, all color drained from Hiam’s face. He ran for the rocks where they had left Kiri. Naured was on his heels.

There was nothing where they left her but a torn piece of cloak and her water bottle.”

**< Naured asks Hiam to mentally interrogate the crippled Mando’ade in order to find Kiri.>**

“I can’t,” said Hiam. 

“Can’t or won’t?” asked Naured. They needed this information if they were going to save Kiri.

“If I do this, it will break their mind. And it will break me!” As always and despite the seriousness of the situation, Naured got a little thrill to see the passion shining behind the Jedi façade.

“Kiri and I will fix you,” assured Naured. As a Mandalorian, he knew that sometimes you had to make these sorts of choices.

Hiam shook his head. “It would make me a dar’jetii.” His storm cloud eyes were filled with despair. “The Sith don’t care about ade, cyare. They don’t care about those they leave behind who love them.”

Well, osik.

“All right. Then what do we do?”

Hiam was silent for a long moment, before looking up. “I have an idea.”

**< Hiam’s idea>**

Hiam’s “idea” was for them to strip their prisoner and the dead of their armor, and hopefully find enough pieces so they could both pass as these star insignia Mandalorians, then approach the base (which was hopefully in the direction they kept attacking from) and infiltrate it to find Kiri.

Naured thought the idea was rather scandalous. Stealing or wearing another Mandalorian’s armor just wasn’t done. (Now, disguising your armor to look like someone else’s was a different matter.) And he couldn’t decide if it was better or worse that it was a non-Mandalorian (and a Jetii at that!) who wanted to do such a… sacrilegious thing.

Still, this was a better thing than his cyare becoming a dar’jetii and not caring about him or their ad.

Naured nodded towards the prisoner. “You knock him out and get his armor off. I’ll go collect the rest.”

**< Going against the ones who took Kiri.>**

“I can use the Force to jump up there myself, Naured,” said Hiam.

Naured just pulled him closer. Jetii were so stubborn. “You need to save your strength for the battle.” He leaned in so their foreheads met and thought at his stubborn jetii, ‘Let me hold you close one more time before we go to war.’

Hiam got the message judging by how his body relaxed into Naured’s grip. “All right,” he said, a fond look on his face.

Naured pulled on his helmet, got one last secure grip on Hiam, then ignited the jetpack.

The fortress was nestled at the top of the cliff, two guard towers on either end and at the center was a massive durasteel door. As they had planned, Hiam faked a limp while Naured pretended to be helping him towards the door.

“Kran?” asked a voice inside Naured’s borrowed buy’ce. He didn’t respond and instead made the hand gesture for his com being down. Their coms echoed with curses, but the door opened. Hiam’s arm around his shoulder’s felt like durasteel it was so tense. A Mandalorian in gray armor stood there with buy’ce on, but their stance conveyed annoyance. 

“Heading to the medics,” said Naured, hoping the buy’ce’s sound projector disguised his voice enough.

“Obviously,” said the Mandalorian, throwing his hands up. “Karking Jetii! You’re the only ones who made it back this time.”

Naured steered them in the direction where the medics were usually set up in a standard Mandalorian camp, and tried not to brace too much for a shot in the back. If he turned in the wrong direction, they’d immediately be found out. Several heartbeats passed. Hiam’s hand moved to touch the back of his neck where it was covered by his bodysuit. He squeezed once. That meant they were okay and they were no longer being directly observed.

The enemy Mandalorian’s comment meant that what Naured and Hiam suspected was true; they didn’t know Hiam was working with a Mandalorian. Dar’jetii and Mandalorians were common battle partners. But a Jetii and a Mandalorian? It was almost inconceivable despite how much Naured now knew it was the perfect pairing.

Naured found himself grinning beneath his buy’ce. These dar’manda were in for a surprise.

**< Having gotten past the forces and found Kiri’s cell>**

Kiri was in electronic shackles that seemed too big for her. She whimpered through the gag at the sight of them. Naured automatically fired at the electronic barrier guarding the cell in front of them, and when that didn’t work, drove the butt of his rifle against it. All he got were numb hands from the reverberations.

“These are restraints for a Jedi. Kiri is not Force sensitive,” said Hiam. Naured suddenly hated how calm he sounded.

“No,” said a voice behind them. “But children sure do make great bait, don’t they?”


End file.
